County Fair
by LuckyxLabradoodlexLoverx7
Summary: AU: It's the summer of 2011 and five Bohemian teenagers are showing their horses at the county fair.  Based on actual events.  Rated T because I'm paranoid.


Disclaimer: I own nothing of Rent. It belongs to the wonderful Jonathon Larson. I do own my original characters – aka Joanne, April, Roger, Angel and Alison's horses and the plot. 'Nuff said.

A/N: The fair is going on this week, so I wanted to write a story about my experiences showing horses. I showed three horses when I was in 4-H: Rascal the Welsh Pony, R2D2 the Haflinger cross and Conn the Lipizzaner/Quarter Horse. Fair time was my favorite time during the summer and I miss showing horses, but support my friends that show their horses.

A/N 2: Ages – Roger is 16, April is 15, Alison is 16, Joanne is 15 and Angel is 15. The rest of the gang – Benny is 16, Mimi is 15, Maureen is 15, Collins is 17, Mark is 16 and Lara is 17. Also in this story, Angel is a girl.

A/N 3: Parings – April/OC, Roger/Mimi, Mark/OC, Collins/Angel, Benny/Alison & Maureen/Joanne

A/N 4: The horses:

Leopard – Roger's horse. Leopard Applassoa mare. White coat with black quarter-sized dots all over her body. Her legs, muzzle, main and tail are black. Stands 16.4 hands at the withers. Is about 5 years old. Registered name: Fiery Leopard Sporting Girl XX

Napoleon – April's horse. Friesian gelding. Black with a tiny diamond-shaped star in the middle of his forehead. Stands about 17.2 hands at the withers. Is fourteen years old. Registered name: Not registered.

Pryze – Alison's horse. Quarter Horse gelding. Bay – body is brown, while legs, tail, ears and mane are black. Has a white zigzag blaze going down his face and two front socks. Stands 15.5 hands at the withers. Is six years old. Registered name: Sultan's Pryze.

Midas – Joanne's horse. Arabian gelding. Snow white. Stands 14.2 hands at the withers. Is four years old. Registered name: Midas' White Gold.

Irish Rose – Angel's horse. Paint mare. Brown, white and black. Has a bald face and four uneven white socks on each of her feet. Is 16.2 hands at the withers. Is about sixteen years old. Registered name: Kiss From An Irish Rose.

Summary: AU: It's the summer of 2011 and five Bohemian teenagers are showing their horses at the county fair. Based on actual events. Rated T because I'm paranoid.

Genre: General/None

Rating: T

* * *

><p>Roger Davis rolled out of bed and looked at his alarm. It was 4:15 AM and it was time for him to get rolling. He quickly got dressed and kissed his mother on the cheek, grabbing his garment bag that was draped neatly on the chair by the door.<p>

"What are you doing up so early?" Mrs. Davis asked.

"I'm showing Leopard this week, remember?" Roger reminded his mother, pouring himself some coffee. He needed some – it was going to be a long day.

"I don't think I'll be able to make it, but good luck honey." Mrs. Davis told Roger. He nodded, a little disappointed – his mom worked as an emergency room nurse, so she was extremely busy, which Roger understood. His dad was killed in a car accident when Roger was four and Mrs. Davis wasn't planning on re-marrying anytime soon.

He took a quick bite of a bagel and headed out the door. He promised April, Angel and Joanne that he would pick them up before heading to the fairgrounds. He used to date Alison, so it would be super awkward.

Ten minutes later, he pulled up in front of April's house. She smiled and came out the door, climbing in the front seat.

"You ready?" Roger asked, pulling out of the driveway and headed to Angel's house.

"Not really – I'm so nervous about my Dressage test. I hope that Nappy and I do well." April rambled. Roger nodded in agreement. He was the only one of the five of them that didn't ride English. He rode Western and had been for the past three years.

"Don't worry about it – I'm sure you and Nappy will be just fine." Roger told her as he pulled into Joanne's driveway. She exited the house with an exhausted look on her face. Over her shoulder, she carried a garment bag with her riding attire in it.

"We set?" Roger asked as Joanne climbed into the backseat.

"Yeah." Joanne muttered sleepily. Roger sighed and headed to Angel's place, which was on the next block. Roger lived three houses down from April and Joanne lived two houses down from April. Angel, however, lived on the next block in a crappy apartment.

"Hey all." Angel greeted them as she got in the car next to Joanne, who was snoring away.

"Hi." Roger and April greeted her back. After that, it was silent.

They reached the fairgrounds just before dawn. Roger found a place to park while Angel poked Joanne awake.

"Would you stop that!" Joanne exclaimed, her tone bitter. Joanne was not a morning person, so it was good not to bug her in the morning.

"We're here, chica." Angel told Joanne as the two of them got out of the car. The four of them got their garment bags out of the car and walked to ZZ barn where their horses were.

"Hey guys!" Connie – the owner of Four Hills Riding Academy where Leopard, Midas, Irish Rose, Pryze and Napoleon were boarded – greeted the sleepy foursome in a happy voice. She was also the leader of their 4-H group Growing In Unison.

"Hi Connie." Roger, Angel, April and Joanne greeted her back, their tones sleepy.

"Joanne and April, you girls might want to look over your Dressage tests. Angel, your walk/trot/canter class got cancelled, so I put you in a bareback walk/trot class instead. Roger, your trail test changed, so you may want to look that over." Connie buzzed, obviously hyped up on caffeine. Roger and the others ignored it and went to see their horses.

"Hi pretty girl." Roger greeted his horse – a beautiful Leopard Applassoa mare named Leopard – as he entered the stall. She nickered to him as he removed her bright yellow sleazy, light sheet, leg wraps and tail bag, expecting her body for cuts she may have gotten during the night. He gave her a pat and exited the stall, making a note that she needed more water.

Leopard's stall was the first one on the inside, next to the entrance to the barn. Next to her was Pryze, then Irish Rose, then the tack room, then Napoleon, then the feed room, then Midas. Across the way from Midas were the other rider's horses – Roger didn't know them very well and tended to avoid them, even though all the horses at Four Hills were extremely friendly.

"Okay, princess, here's your food." Roger said, placing the two and a half flakes of hay in Leopard's hay bag and poured the oats in the oat bucket. Leopard nickered happily and dug into her food without hesitation. While she ate, Roger mucked out her stall and replaced the soiled wood shavings with fresh ones.

"Hey Rog, I'm going to bathe Midas. Wanna come?" Joanne asked, poking her head into Leopard's stall.

"Sure. Let me get my bathing supplies." Roger answered, grabbing a lead rope and his bathing supplies. By now, the sun was up as Joanne and Roger made their way to the wash rack. There was a little eleven-year-old girl bathing a fat gray pony. Other than that, the wash rack was empty.

"Hi." Roger greeted the girl as he tied Leopard next to the pony. Joanne tied Midas across from Leopard.

"Hi." The girl greeted Roger back, fully intent on getting her pony dry.

"Your pony is cute." Joanne told the girl, turning on the water. Midas sniffed the hose and tossed his head – he hated getting wet.

"Thanks. I like your guys' horses." The girl said, untying her pony. "What are their names?"

"Mine is Leopard and hers is Midas." Roger told the girl. "What's your pony's name?"

"Lilly. I should get her back to the barn. Good luck in your events." The girl said, leading Lilly away from the wash rack.

"Cute kid." Roger admired as he bathed Leopard, who danced on her hindquarters. Roger gave her a firm tug on the lead rope to calm her down. He had owned her for two years and loved her dearly, but sometimes she could be a pain in the butt.

The two of them quickly finished bathing their horses and headed back to the barn, talking amongst themselves. They put their horses in their stalls and went to get something to eat before Roger helped Connie with the disabled kids in their first class.

"Hey Roger, Stormcloud is lame, so would it be okay if Jessie rode Leopard?" Connie asked, coming towards Roger with an English saddle.

"Sure – let me get her dried off and ready." Roger told Connie, quickly drying Leopard as fast as he could. He then brought her out of the stall and clipped crossties to either side of her halter.

"Connie, that's not Stormcloud." Jessie Gray – Alison's younger sister – complained. Jessie had Cebreal Palsy and was confined to a wheelchair. She had black hair and hazel eyes.

"I know it's not Stormcloud, but he hurt himself, so you're going to ride Roger's horse Leopard." Connie told Jessie. Roger smiled and applied hoof polish to Leopard's back hooves. He had already done her front hooves and they were in the process of drying.

"After I get her ready, I'll clip a lead rope to her bridle and take you around the practice arena on her." Roger said, patting Leopard's shoulder. She was still wet, but would be dry in no time. Joanne busied herself by brushing Leopard's mane and tail. She had already done Midas' and it was in his bright green tail bag.

A few minutes later, Leopard was ready to ride. Roger, with help from Connie, lifted Jessie onto Leopard. Roger tightened the girth and adjusted the stirrups. Connie fixed Leopard's bridle and told her what a pretty girl she was. Roger clipped a lead rope to Leopard's chinstrap and told her to walk forward. He led her to the practice arena, which was empty at the moment.

"We'll just walk and trot her, okay?" Roger told Jessie. The girl nodded and held onto the reins. Roger told Leopard to behave and he would give her a bucket full of her favorite treats. Leopard pricked her ears forward and walked a little faster. Connie held onto Jessie's leg as Roger led Leopard around the arena.

Before Roger knew it, it was time for the disabled kids class to start. Jessie ended up getting a blue ribbon in her class, which she displayed proudly on Leopard's stall door. Roger had to move the ribbon after Leopard tried to eat it.

"Roger, can I ride her again?" Jessie asked when Roger cooled Leopard down.

"Not today, Jess. I have a class this afternoon and I'm going to let her rest now." Roger told her. Jessie nodded and wheeled off to see Alison, who was talking to her boyfriend, Benny.

"Hey Rog." Mark greeted Roger. Roger smiled and hugged Lara, then Mark. Lara was Mark's girlfriend – she had blond hair and deep blue eyes. She was also very sweet and seemed to care about everyone and everything.

"Hey guys. Where are Collins and Maureen?" Roger asked, heading to the tack room. It was almost time for Roger to ride Leopard. She danced in her stall as Roger tacked her up.

"They're coming in a bit – Collins got a little lost, but they'll be here soon." Lana told Roger. Roger smiled and handed Leopard's reins to Lana while he went to change and pin his number to the back of his shirt.

"How do I look?" Roger asked, fixing his chaps. He was wearing a blue shirt, vest and jeans. Over his jeans, he had on a pair of cream-colored chaps. On his head, he wore a cream-colored ten-gallon hat.

"Like a cowboy." April told him as she put on her riding boots. She was dressed in cream-colored breeches, black riding boots, a black riding jacket and a white shirt. On her head, she wore a black helmet.

"You look good." Roger said as he shoved his cowboy boots on his feet.

"Thanks. I have a class in two minutes – Showmanship. Aren't you in the Western showmanship?" April asked. Roger nodded and took off Leopard's saddle and placed it back in the tack room.

"…And in first place, number 1124 Roger Davis riding with the Growing In Unison 4-H club." The voice on the loudspeaker announced. Roger smiled as the judge pinned a first place ribbon to Leopard's bridle. Roger smiled and trotted Leopard out of the arena, patting her shoulder. He had Mark get the ribbon off Leopard's bridle while Roger quickly tacked Leopard up. He had his trail test to take then he was done for the day.

Leopard passed her trail test with flying colors, but not good enough to take home the blue – she spooked when the gate hit her on the leg, resulting in a nasty cut. They ended up coming in third, which was okay.

"It's okay pretty girl." Roger soothed as he placed a wet paper towel on the wound. It wasn't very deep, but Leopard acted like it was the end of the world. Roger placed a piece of gauze on the wound and held it on with medical tape. He then put Leopard's sheet and tail bag on her, letting her rest while he went to watch Joanne, Alison, April and Angel ride in their classes.

Before Roger knew it, classes were over for the day. He changed into an old black KISS T-shirt and jeans. He left his cowboy boots on – he found them rather comfortable.

"Let's go down the midway and see what rides there are." April suggested, taking her boyfriend, James', hand in hers. James had black hair, dark eyes and always wore black.

"Cool." James stated, squeezing April's hand.

"I am definitely not going on that." Joanne said, pointing at the Gravatron. Maureen nodded and held Joanne's hand, knowing how her girlfriend felt. Maureen and Joanne had extreme motion sickness and took pills for it.

"I know the rides I'm going on – Cliff Hanger, Himalaya, Carousel, Para Trooper and Tilt-A-Whirl." Lara named off five of the midway's eleven rides.

"Sounds cool." Roger said, drawing Mimi close to him. The two of them had been going out for a couple months and were slowly falling for each other.

"I'm gonna have to skip riding the Himalaya – that looks way too scary." Mark chimed. Lara rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek as she, Roger, April, Mimi, Collins and Angel got in line for the Himalaya. The group showed the ride attendant their bracelets and got in cars that were near each other. Lara ended up sharing a car with April, which didn't bother her. Both girls were friends and cared about one another.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Lara screamed as the ride went backwards, siren blaring on the loud speaker. There was a Lady Gaga song playing, but Lara couldn't make it out between the siren, screaming and laughing.

Once the ride was over, they quickly exited it and went to ride some other ones. Roger smiled as the game attendant handed him a giant stuffed dog, which he then handed to Mimi. She smiled and wrapped her fingers around his.

"So, people that ride horses, which classes do you have tomorrow?" James asked as he attacked an elephant ear. April broke off a little piece and brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes. Joanne and Maureen were playing games, but they would join the others soon.

"I have my Dressage test and then costume class." April mumbled between bites.

"I have costume class." Roger said.

"Costume class." Angel chimed.

"I have hunter over fences, Dressage and costume class." Joanne put in as she and Maureen walked towards the group, each carrying a medium-sized stuffed animal – Maureen carried a giraffe and Joanne carried a horse that looked like Leopard.

"I've been avoiding Alison, so I have no idea what her schedule is." April said, wiping the sugar off her face with her sleeve.

"Hey Rog, Collins and Mark – you guys wanna go to the demolition derby?" James asked, pointing to the outer arena.

"Oh yeah!" Collins exclaimed, dragging Mark and Roger behind him. James laughed and followed the others.

"So, girls which rides do we want to go on?" Mimi asked.

"Carousel." Lara, Joanne, April and Angel answered in unison.

They cleaned up their messes and headed towards the carousel, laughing and singing Bad Romance at the top of their lungs.

* * *

><p>Roger sighed as he adjusted his wig for the hundredth time. It was almost time for costume class and Roger was having the most difficult time with his costume – he was dressed as Hermione and Leopard was dressed as Ron. The theme this year was famous duos.<p>

"Why didn't you pick John Lennon?" Mimi asked him as she, Lara, Angel and Collins put the large black sheet over Leopard's hindquarters. Joanne stood at Leopard's head, telling her what a good girl she was.

"Because I saw this outfit and fell in love with it." Roger answered, laughing at himself in the full-length mirror in the tack room. He wore a curly brown wig, Hogwarts unifrom and carried a stuffed cat. He was going to have the song Harry's Wonderous World playing in the background, seeing as it was his favorite song from Harry Potter.

"Oh no you didn't!" Angel said, exiting the dressing room in the same exact outfit as Roger. Irish Rose was also dressed as Ron.

"There's gonna be a ton of Harry Potter characters." Roger said, mounting Leopard.

"You're right." Angel said, mounting Irish Rose. The two of them rode towards the open riding arena. Roger saw April riding bareback and saw that she was dressed as Jane. He couldn't tell what Napoleon was dressed as, but as they cantered closer, he saw that he was dressed as Tarzan.

"Nappy looks good." Roger told April.

"Thanks – it took two hours to paint him." April said, patting Nappy's shoulder. The big Fresian threw his head, obviously happy with himself.

"…In first place, number 1124 Roger Davis riding with the Growing In Unison 4-H club. Thanks to everyone who participated." The voice on the loudspeaker announced. Everyone exited the arena, happy with his or her placings. April came in third; Joanne had come in second; Angel had come in fourth; Alison had come in dead last – she was supposed to be the Queen of Hearts, but she didn't do hardly anything to herself or her horse.

Roger had Lara cool Leopard off while he helped April with bathing Nappy.

"You did great." Roger said, dipping a sponge in water and rubbed it on the white spots on Nappy's body.

"Thanks. I really liked your costume." April said, kind of in a bad mood. She was kind of a sore loser, but Roger could tell she was trying her best.

"So, are you done with classes?" Roger asked, putting Nappy's navy blue sleazy, blanket, leg wraps and tail bag on him.

"No – I have Baby Green tomorrow and then the fun classes in the afternoon. For the fun classes, we have to ride someone else's horse, and since you, Angel, Joanne and I are all doing it, I was thinking we could trade horses. Angel and Joanne already traded – Joanne's riding Irish and Angel's riding Midas. Anyway, do you think I could ride Leopard and you could ride Nappy." April rambled.

"Sure, you can ride Nappy. Is there a Western saddle big enough for him?" Roger asked – he refused to ride English – it hurt his butt.

"I think if we steal Danish's, it could fit him." April answered. Danish was the horse that was across from the feed room – she was a Clysdale that occupied the stall across from the feed room. She belonged to a nice guy named Alfred.

"I'll ask Alfred when we get back to the barn." Roger said, untying Nappy from the wash rack and led him towards the barn.

"Careful – he likes to pull." April told Roger. Roger nodded and kept a firm hand on the lead rope.

"That can't be good." Roger said as they approached the barn. His heart instantly went to his throat, praying that it wasn't any of the Four Hills horses. A large paint stood in the middle of the aisle, ears flat against its head. It wasn't a Four Hills horse, which made Roger relax a bit.

"Um, excuse us – his stall is behind you." Roger told the vet.

"You're gonna have to put him somewhere else or go somewhere else." The vet said, his tone firm. April looked at Roger and he turned Nappy around. The three of them exited the barn and decided to go for a walk.

"Let me get Leopard and we'll go for a walk together." Roger said. April nodded and waited for Roger to get his beloved horse. She was standing in the middle of her stall. Her head hung low and one back leg was cocked – she was sleeping. Roger quietly entered the stall and clipped a lead rope to her halter ring. He smiled when Leopard followed him out of the stall.

"Roger – you can't leave right now. You, Joanne and Alison are on stall duty." Connie said. Roger nodded and put Leopard away. He then went to tell April the situation when he heard a loud squeal coming from Leopard's stall. He sprinted back to the barn to find her nose soaking wet. A little boy with a squirt gun was laughing hysterically. Roger felt the anger rise – Leopard HATED being squirted in the face with water.

"You okay pretty girl?" Roger asked, standing outside the stall. He knew better than to go in – Leopard was a nice horse, but if she got squirted in the face, she was PISSED, as any horse would be. She shook her head and her ears flattened. The only way to calm her down was to leave her alone.

"There you are Aaron!" a woman's voice came down the aisle. Roger was going to talk to this boy's mother.

"Are you his mother?" Roger asked as the woman neared.

"Yes. Why? What did he do?" the woman inquired.

"He squirted my horse in the face. She hates that and I don't like seeing her upset." Roger said, trying to stay calm.

"Oh. I'm so sorry." The woman said, taking the squirt gun away from the little boy. He started screaming and crying. "You squirted a nice horse in the face and her owner didn't like that."

"GIMME MY GUN!" the boy screeched.

"No – you've lost it for the weekend. This is the seventh horse you've squirted – one in the eye!"

"I WANT MY GUN!" the boy yelled.

"No."

"YOU'RE MEAN!"

"I know, but it's for your own safety."

"I'M TELLING DADDY!"

"Your daddy will agree with me." The woman escorted the boy out of the barn – the conversation continuing like that for a while. Roger sighed and leaned against Leopard's stall door. He peeked inside and saw her sniffing the ground for food. Roger smiled, glad that his horse was back to normal.

* * *

><p>"All trot." The voice over the loudspeaker droned. Roger managed to somehow control Nappy and hold the egg in the spoon perfectly still. The last day of 4-H was fun day – games were played directly after the last class of the day. Roger, April, Joanne, Angel and Alison had signed up to be in the fun classes, seeing as they could use a break. Roger was riding Nappy; April was riding Leopard; Joanne was riding Irish Rose and Angel was riding Midas. Alison was riding a large white horse that none of the others knew – apparently, she had traded with a girl in a different 4-H club, seeing as they were friends.<p>

"Boy in the white T-shirt. You're out." The voice on the loudspeaker droned. A boy on a pudgy brown and white pony groaned and left the arena. He was the fifth person that dropped their egg. So far, Roger, April, Joanne, Angel and Alison had kept their eggs in their spoons.

"Change directions, still at the trot." The voice kept droning. Roger could tell they were getting board, even though the fun classes had started an hour ago. "Girl in the bright yellow T-shirt. You're out."

"Dang it!" Angel groaned, trotting Midas out of the arena.

Fifteen minutes later, the game was over and Roger was the winner. He smiled and patted Nappy's shoulder.

"We need two horses for the next game." A woman's voice came over the loudspeaker. Apparently, they had fired Mr. Bored and hired Mrs. Perky.

"You can use my horse." Roger said, dismounting Nappy.

"We have one horse. We need one more." The woman's voice said.

"Here's one you can use." April said, also dismounting Leopard.

"Good – we have our two horses. People who volunteered the horses – what are their names and breeds." The voice said.

"This is Napoleon and he's a Fresian." Roger said.

"This is Leopard and she's a Leopard Applassoa." April said.

"Good. We need four people around Napoleon and four people around Leopard." The voice said. Angel, Joanne, Alison and another girl gathered around Leopard. Some other riders gathered around Napoleon.

"Now, what you're going to do – Team Leopard – you will saddle your horse under English tack and Team Napoleon – you will saddle your horse under Western tack. But there is a catch – you have to do it blindfolded." The voice told the players.

"Piece of cake – I can do this in my sleep." A boy in Roger's group announced. Connie handed Roger and April Napoleon and Leopard's halters. Roger and April put them on the horses while their teammates decided who would do what.

"On your marks, get set, go!" the voice told the players. April and a kid on Roger's team stumbled for the Western and English saddle pads. They rushed back as fast as they could and put on the pads on the horses. Two other kids from the teams put on the saddles and another two kids put on the bridles. Roger and Joanne got on the horses – Roger on Napoleon and Joanne on Leopard. Team Leopard ended up winning the relay race.

Roger smiled and walked Leopard back to the barn. He untacked her and put on her Western saddle and bridle. He then adjusted the cinch and stirrups before putting on his helmet.

"Let's go for one more ride, just to celebrate this week." Roger told the mare, steering her towards the open arena. There were two other riders in the arena, both under English tack. Roger smiled when he recognized them as April and Joanne. Angel was helping Connie put horses in the trailer and helping others take down stall decorations.

"Hurry up you guys and come help!" Angel told the friends as they exited the arena. Roger dismounted Leopard, put her in an extra stall so that he could untack and brush her, put her shipping equipment on – sleazy, halter, boots, tail bag and light blanket. He then loaded her in the trailer next to Irish Rose, who flattened her ears. Roger gave her a slap on the rump and she softened her irritated look, making Angel laugh.

"I think we had a great year this year." Connie told the riders as they waited for their rides. They all nodded and thanked Connie for everything.

* * *

><p><em>Two years later<em>

"Rog, how do you stop this thing?" Mimi asked, her voice wavering as she trotted around the arena aboard Leopard. Roger laughed and told Mimi to pull back on the reins.

"Praise her – horses love to hear it." Roger told his girlfriend.

"Um, good horse. Don't throw me, okay?" Mimi told Leopard as they continued their ride around the arena. Roger had decided to breed Leopard when she fractured her knee in a class eight months ago at the fairgrounds. She had two months left to go in her pregnancy. Roger had bred her to a fellow Leopard Applassoa stallion named Sir Galahad.

"She won't throw you, Meems – she's expecting soon and if she bucked – or did anything stupid – she would lose the foal." Roger told Mimi. He had been reading every article he could get his hands on about horse breeding, foaling and everything in between. His mother teased that he was going to marry Leopard. Roger rolled his eyes and ignored the comment.

Two months later, Roger stood outside the large foaling stall, watching nature take its course. The top of Leopard's beautiful tail was wrapped with medical tape to keep it out of the birthing process. Mark, Maureen, Lara, Joanne, Collins, Angel, April, James and Mimi had all come over to ride when Connie had announced that Leopard was in labor.

"How long until something happens?" Maureen asked, looking up from her hand. She, James, April, Mimi, Mark and Joanne were playing poker while Lana, Collins, Angel, Mimi and Roger cared for Leopard.

"The vet said something should happen soon." Roger answered, not taking his eyes off his mare. Suddenly, with a groan and thud, Leopard was on her side, her breathing labored. Roger stepped into the stall and looked to see if Leopard was close to foaling. He smiled when he saw a black foreleg sticking out.

"Anything?" Joanne inquired.

"We've got a foreleg over here." Roger said, trying to keep his voice quiet. A few pushes later and both forelegs were out. Roger knew this foal would look like both of its parents – pure Leopard Applassoa.

"Do you have any names picked out?" Lara asked.

"If she has a colt, I'm naming him Sir Leopard."

"What if she has a filly?" Mark inquired.

"I don't know – I haven't really thought about it." Roger answered, watching the birth of the foal. The body and head were out. Two pushes later, the back legs were out. Roger removed the sac from the foal's nose as Leopard licked the rest of it clean. Roger looked under the foal's tail to determine the gender – she had a colt.

"What is it?" Angel asked.

"She had a boy!" Roger exclaimed happily, leaving the stall to let mother and son bond.

The friends watched the colt take a few awkward steps towards his mother, stumbling over his stilt-like legs. They all laughed and watched Leopard nudge her son, encouraging him. The little guy got his legs under him and pushed himself up, wobbling slightly.

"Oh, Roger – she had her baby!" Connie breathed as she and the vet entered the barn.

"Yeah – she had a colt. I'm naming him Sir Leopard." Roger announced.

"Sir Leopard – I love it!" Connie told Roger, hugging him close. The vet entered the stall and Roger watched Leopard pin her ears against her head when the vet got too close to her baby.

"Easy girl – it's okay." Roger soothed, ducking under the guardrail and snapped a lead rope to Leopard's halter. Sir Leopard, however, didn't notice the strange creature enter the stall until he turned around and nearly jumped out of his baby fur. The vet laughed and had Joanne come and hold the baby still so that the vet could examine him.

"Hey sweet boy. You're so cute. You have a good momma and a really nice home here. It's okay. You're okay. Momma's right over there and she won't let anything harm you." Joanne spoke to the foal in soothing words. Sir Leopard's ears flicked back and forth, listening to Joanne's kind words.

That night, the friends decided to have a sleepover in the barn, for it would be their last – Collins was visiting from college and was leaving the following day; Angel and her family were moving to California; Lara and Mark were getting married in the spring, as were Mimi and Roger. James and April were planning on marrying, after both of them found a decent job.

All of them fell asleep after three hours of talking to one another. They were all dreaming about their futures and what was yet to be.


End file.
